Ancient Goddesses in New York

About Athena in Athens Park

In ancient Greece, the citizens paid homage to the great Goddess Athena in her sacred home on a hill, the Parthenon. They surrounded her with beauty so that she could look around her surroundings with delight. The Queens neighborhood of Astoria became the home of many Greek immigrants who helped build New York. Even though they may not practice the ancient religion they continued to honor their cultural heritage. Thus, the Mayor of Athens presented this Athena statue to the people of Astoria and the Athens park was built by the city to replicate ancient Greece. There are other statues of famous philosophers around the cozy park. People sit in peace and read or eat but you can also offer your prayers to Athena, who comes alive in this statue from her homeland.

- Laurie Sue Brockway

An Inspiring Speech from Her 1998 Unveiling

"It is wonderful to be here in Athens Square Park today, during Greek Independence Week, to unveil this beautiful sculpture of the Goddess Athena - a replica of the "Piraeus Athena" that stands in Athens. And it is a special honor to have the Mayor of Athens, Demetri Avramopoulos, here to join us. His presence, like the sculpture, reminds us of the deep cultural and historical bonds that join New York City and Athens. As I've said, the greatest legacy of great cities is the beauty that they leave the world. And the Goddess Athena represents the essence of Periclean Athens: to improve the City constantly, to always make it greater and more beautiful. That is what we are committed to doing in New York City today, as expressed in the Athenian Oath of Fealty, with which we pledged "to transmit this city not only not less, but far greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us."

-From the Mayor's speech, Unveiling the Statue Of The Goddess Athena At Athens Square Park, March 28, 1998

Sources

Archives of the Mayor's Press Office, "Press Release Archives #139-98 - Unveils Statue of the Goddess Athena at Athens Square Park," Archives of the Mayor's Press Office (\\), accessed March 23, 2024, https://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/98a/pr139-98.html.

Tufts, "Piraeus Athena (Sculpture)," Tufts.edu, 2019, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/artifact?name=Piraeus+Athena&object=Sculpture.

An Athena Temple in Nature

This small park in Queens comes complete with one of the most gentle-looking Athena statues you will find in New York. This replica from Athens blesses a park that is complete with statues of famous Greek philosophers and a stage that looks like a Greek temple.